The only practice in Western Massachusetts exclusively dedicated to the care of the hand and upper extremity.

Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Fireworks Safety 4th of July and beyond

With the Fourth of July holiday fast approaching, experts are urging people to use caution when handling fireworks and have provided a list of safety tips to consider.

According to the latest U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission report, fireworks sent roughly 11,000 people to the emergency room over the course of the Fourth of July holiday. Of these injuries, approximately 36 percent were to the hand, thumb and digits. Interesting enough, 40% of the injuries are caused by fireworks that were thought to be somewhat safe such as sparklers and firecrackers.

The number of firework-related injuries treated in emergency rooms in the United States has ranged from 8,500 to 9,800 since 1997; in 2011, 26% of patients were younger than age 15.1 Firework-related injuries range in severity from superficial burns to complete loss of the hand and fingers. The most common injuries are burns to the fingers, hand, and wrist (26.7%), followed by injuries to the eye (14.9%), and open injuries to the hand and wrist (6.5%).2 Other sources report that the number of burns to the fingers, hand, and arm are as high as 41%.3 Burns account for more than 50% of firework-related injuries,

While lighting fireworks, never position any part of your body over them

After lighting fireworks, immediately back up to a safe distance

To avoid burns from sparklers, poke a hole at the bottom of a cup and put the handle of the sparkler through the hole. This technique will shield your hand from sparks that are emitted from the sparkler. It’s also important to wear gloves when using sparklers (leather preferred) as they can be as hot as a blow torch and over 15 times hotter than boiling water.

Never attempt to re-light or handle malfunctioning fireworks

Light only one firework at a time – at arm’s length – with an extended lighter

Always wear eye protection/safety glasses when lighting fireworks

Never carry a firework in your pocket or shoot them from a metal or glass container

Never aim or throw fireworks at another person, animal or building

Have a bucket of water or working garden hose accessible

Properly dispose of all fireworks (used and unused). Allow used fireworks to soak in water for a few hours before discarding.

The following precautions should be taken when attending a public fireworks display:

Obey safety barriers and ushers.

Stay back a minimum of 500 feet from the launching site.

Resist the temptation to pick up firework debris when the display is over. The debris may still be hot, or in some cases, the debris might be “live” and could still explode.

Ensure all children have adult supervision.

The potential long-term severity of fireworks-related injuries can have undesirable outcomes to the body, so remember to enjoy the holiday safely and responsibly and don’t take any unnecessary risks.